MudDuck

Thats just scary,,,I'd let them know I didn't appreciate it. And when numbnutts figures out it's not a weekend project and more complicated than it looks give me a call and I'll submit another bid. (that gas just keeps going up) And I would make sure every professional in the area knew that the HOA had hosed me to figure out what a fair amount was for the job so one of the board members could under cut me and pocket the HOA funds. Heck I might spend a few bucks on some post card mailers to the neighborhood with a "Did you know?" letter ending with a "So another board member could pocket your hard earned and paid HOA fee's. If nothing else to start the neighborhood rumor mill..lol...no one likes the HOA that isn't on it. Let the truth rumors run rampant with your biz name tagged as the victim. LOL. You can't pay for that kind of advertising!!! Glad to hear they caved but it still cost you 5%. Do you have a overrun leeway in your contracts? For say...ahhh... shipping / fuel sure-charge,,,yea thats it! My advice to anyone in that situation would be to NOT start chasing a price. Stand on your bid. Went to a sales seminar one time and had a coach say "there has been more men killed by the jaw bone of an aZZ then there ever was with a sword!" Meaning shut up jack AZZ your talking yourself out of a sale! Make your pitch, name your price....the next one to speak loses! In a face to face that awkward silence is your friend. Try it, the next one to speak loses.

Ajustable nozzle M5 X jet will make your life much better ,,,..Bryan C is right, spending way too much needless effort. Plus you can't hit a lot of places with a hand pump with enough chem to do a pro job. Simply can't be done. Ditch the "outdoor" bleach (that stuff is just over priced reg bleach and dish soap) If your not using 12.5 % bleach go with regular otc bleach and some Dawn or Simple Cherry from Pressure Tek,,Like 25.00 for 10lbs. 10oz SC 3gal bleach per 5er, in x jet. But seriously the time and effort your putting into a job like that is crazy. $139.99 X Jet = You can do a better job faster with 1/3 the work.

Pretty rough here in NC too...LOL

I've got to order one of these too. But the defelting pads shown are 9" and 10" and the polisher / sander is a 7". What gives? Did anyone ever figure out whether you have to order the backer pad with the HF?

Its pretty amazing what some people can sit down and figure out what can be done. Imagin trying to build that the first time. UUUhhhg

Did you use a pressure washer to rinse the stripper off? You don't need to blast it but you do need some pressure to move the debris, top layer off after the chems do their work. Like the yellow 15 tip at about 12 or so inches medium pressure. Don't cut the wood just blow the top layer off after its soft. Looks to me like it was washed off with a water hose then dried. And you have to neutralize it and do the brightener. Like Beth said you cant skip anything when using chems process. Go to Pressure tek and order one of his sample packs. It has everything you need. The stripper / neutralizer and brightener and some simple c and gutter grenade for the house. Its like 35 bucks and enough product for that deck and you can up sale a house wash while your there (1.5 hrs) for 150.00 and make up some profit margin for time already spent.

Was wondering if there will be a big need for PW'ers in the flood areas. Is anyone from that area? Would it be worth driving up there and setting up or subing for a local company? I'm thinking it might be a good month or two work for someone that could get up there and free lance. What you guys think?

X jet works great...get the M5 for more flexability. A tad shorter range but still works great. 35ft ish...Keep in mind it's a chem injector so the chems do the work, not a paint peeling blaster.

LOL exactly..Like the guy at the appliance store asking you, "will you need this delivered?" as one of his first few questions to see how serious you are. If you say "yes" OR "no"...he's gotcha!!! Get them to make ANY kind of decission BEFORE the quote and there hooked, just reel em in.

Where are the idiots that a year ago were saying "so what if it goes up to 3.00, thats only going to cost you what...another 2.00 out of pocket for a tank"...Right, you just wait. The gas will be bad enough but thats not your problem,,it's the 8.00 gal of milk, the 4.50 loaf of bread and the pint of strawberries that are 28.50. You'll be bragging to your grand kids one day that you used to could get strawberries in January from California or oranges from Fl. whenever you wanted. WOW!!! REALLY? That 60 grand is all you need for "esentuals" will be like trying to live off min wage. 5 years from now THE CHEAPEST thing your company will do will be the advertising!! Low ballers will probly diminish but quality of work will probly suffer due to those of us who can not afford to order chem's by the tractor trailor load just to justify the shipping cost won't have them. Company's like PT or SunBrite online biz will go out of biz, if Wally World don't sell it you won't have it. Your prices will go down not up because something is better than nothing. Just pass it on to the custormer....LOL....Thats what going to be the problem very shortly...Just remember...YOU ARE THE CUSTOMER 99% of the time! Ahhhh...the good o'l days......

I just lost a 9 unit town home complex, 3 buildings w/ 3 1900sq ft condo's in each. Bid it at 200.00 per building and apparently lost it. Go figure, basically three 5700' houses at 200.00 per. I thought it was a deal he couldn't turn down and just wanted to close it for splash and dash cash to take the wifey to the beach for a Fathers Day surprise. Otherwise I would have bid it at 250.00 or 300.00. Went 4 miles up the street the next day and got a 3200' house @ 400.00...Almost every time you cut someone a deal they balk like they caught you trying to rip them off....Guess some "no" baller shot me out of the sadle trying to low ball it..LOL...Wher's my 99 doller sign at,,Grrrrrrr

Yea you can overload one side of the trailor axle with water sloshing around even within the trailors weight limits you can warp the axle. Those cheap trailors at the box stores and such have cheap axle's on them. That's how they get the price down. Everything else is the same on a trailor. If your buying a single axle to haul water ask about the axle and get the best you can afford.

Next time you order Simple C order some F13 gutter grenade, add 4oz to your 5er along with 3 gal of SH. (X jett) Don't know the DS figures. Clean gutters right along with the house in one swoop 90% of the time. Use pump up F13 for more stubborn gutters. I've about decided that 12.5% is not needed for house washing. I washed a really moldy scaled nasty house last week with OTC 6% Clorox and it melted right off w/ 3gal to a 5er w/ 4oz F13 and 10oz simple C, shot of Dawn. One pass, 10 min dwell then one rinse. IMO 12.5 isn't going to kill mold any better than 6%, maybe a FEW minutes faster but only a few. Gotta be easyer on the plants too.

My M5 x jet works fine for me. It shoots upwards of 35-40'. Note the M5 does shoot shorter than the original x jet. I use Simple C, 4oz of F13 gutter grenade and a squirt of Dawn with SH, even 6% most of the time (can't find 12.5 close) at 3 gal to a 5er and it has worked every time using the M5 full draw (no partishioners). Had a house last week that had mold and alge literly scaling on top of it's self. Melted off with one pass. X jetted on and off 2 story house. (note apparently Wal mart started selling 10% SH in pool supply section)

I haven't seen it here yet but I bet it's a seasonal (summer pool) product for them. I hope they get it here, I can't find 12.5 anywhere within 50 miles. What price are you guys paying for your 12.5 per gallon?

I'm in the process of engineering a rig set up. Think I want 200' reel. Should I go longer or is that just over kill? ( house wash, roofs, decks) Are the stainless really that much better? Do I need the 360 swivel, electric rewind? I know there are pro's and con's to anything but what is a good set up, size, brands, models to stay away from etc.. (pm if you don't want to bad mouth anything in public) I don't need the super duper last forever highest end model because I'm sure I'll upgrade rig set ups in a few years anyway. Or do I? I've been researching but I want to get what works well in front of the, "wished I'd know that", learning curve. Are they bad to rust out? Set up will be in the back of truck or on trailor. Thanks for any imput or ideas in advace. Pics would be nice too for set up ideas.

Citraclean with a touch of 6% for the mold. (1 gal 6%, one bottle of Ultra Dawn for x cling foam,,to a fiver in an x jet) Low pressure "rinse on" with alot of foam, Dwell time is: singing "wish I was in the Land of Dixi" 3 or 4 times. ( mobile homes like that) and then "rinse off" method. No blasting! :lgbow:

Thanks guys for all the imput. Should have set this up as a poll I guess. Would like to have more imput than 4 post with 135 views. Hmmm... Joe you might want to fill out your signature that shows who you are, ie what is at the bottom of everyones post, Company name and all. I think it's required.

As far as hiring a pro,,figure what you do for a living and by the hour. Figure how much time you spent researching and a day or two doing it. Usally it's cheaper to hire someone who already knows the in's and out's and you get a nicer job. Little $.03 center there

Im ordering a Delavan systm to do roofs ( would you recomend the 1/2" or the 3/8"? ) but I'm x jetting now and think Im going to set up a down streamer on the rig so it will have chems running. 12.5 sh with simple cherry. Could be stronger stuff too. I'm doing house washing and roofs as well as deck work so stripper could be in the mix, up to F18. Probly continue to x jet the stripper though. Need one for Water hose.

LOL it aint Fl. LOL

Pricing: 99.99 for the house wash. If it's going to be hard add 10.00 bucks for the extra 12 pack of beer it's going to take. Simple, LOL :lgwave:

Been sweating out (starving out) not having any advertising other than vehicle signs and word of mouth this year because the new phone book didn't come out until yesterday. Well as of 2:00 pm today, I have 3 house washes, two in the country club sub that I'll flip deck jobs out of too and a 3 bldg 9 town home community!!! All called this morning from the add! I've been told by several clients that none of my comp will return calls or show up for the estimate. Gotta hate that huh! But I ain't sckeeerd!! :lgjump:

Had a customer this morning call requesting a house wash and stated for me to do it at my convienance when I was on that side of town because she understood with the cost of fuel going up and all.....I had not even brought it up....They know... On another note my new yellow ad hit Monday and I've got two calls for service by 11 am this morning ( Tues ) from it!!! I haven't recieved my new phone book to even see the ad myself yet.

I for one am not impressed with PWkid's apparent personality and lack of aforethought when speaking to others or in the presence of others. Seemed pretty personal to me and WAY over done and uncalled for. Hats off to Ron for not stooping to PWkids' level going back after him. My bet would be that is why Ron is much more successful $$$ while making a living "representing OUR INDUSTRY" than PWkid-know-it-all. Knowing how to speak to others and more important how NOT to speak to others is worth more than how to write them. When I collect check$ from clients it isn't by mail. At least Ron is smart enough to know to have his secretary write those letters for him and the client is never the wise, PWkid apparently isn't smart enough to not personally attack someone who obviously commands more respect than him and show his butT in front of everyone while doing so. I don't think Ron is the one who needs the education on how to represent himself. Hats off Ron!